• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Fleet Survey Team Completes JPAC Survey in Korea

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS111212-18
12/12/2011

By Lt. Cmdr. Kyle Baden, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command Public Affairs

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. (NNS) -- A five-person crew from Fleet Survey Team (FST) returned to Stennis Space Center, Miss., from South Korea Nov. 20, after a 33-day survey of the Han River, looking for unaccounted-for U.S. servicemen from the Korean War.

FST was looking for the crash sites of three U.S. aircraft in support of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC).

"FST has equipment and expertise that are extremely useful in missions like this. It was a great experience, working with JPAC," said Lt. Cmdr. Kyle Baden, FST plans officer, who was the team leader on the mission.

The five-person survey team included both military and civilian surveyors as well as a nine-meter survey vessel. The mission included the collection of sounding data, tidal information and geodetics.

FST employed multibeam and sidescan sonar, while JPAC employed a magnetometer to search a 10-km section of the river for aircraft wreckage. Data from all three sources was analyzed, and contacts of interest were checked by a six-person dive team from Underwater Construction Team 2.

No aircraft remains were positively identified while in theater, but FST will provide JPAC with detailed bathymetry and sidescan imagery of the area surveyed for further analysis.

FST is scheduled to work with JPAC again to conduct an underwater investigation for World War II remains in Papua, New Guinea. Earlier this year, surveyors on USNS Bowditch (T-AGS 62) from the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) worked with JPAC in Vietnam. FST is a subordinate command to NAVOCEANO.

FST is a rapid-response team with capabilities to conduct quick-turnaround hydrographic surveys anywhere in the world. NAVOCEANO, located at Stennis Space Center, Miss., is the world leader in operational oceanographic forecasting, acoustic modeling and oceanographic data collection.

JPAC is a joint task force within the United States Department of Defense whose mission is to account for Americans who are listed as Prisoners of War, or Missing In Action, from all past wars and conflicts.